Matthew Wise earned his B.A. and M.A. from George Washington University, and completed his Ph.D. from Columbia University in 1955. After retirement as a professor and department chair at Roanoke College, he turned his attention to his native Eastern Shore, documenting the histories of several historic families. Other works by Dr. Wise include The Littleton Heritage: Some American Descendants of  Col. Nathaniel Littleton (1605-1654) of Northampton Co., Virginia, and His Royal Forebears (1997) and The Long Family of Maryland.